Nearly 100 cats had to be evacuated from a woman’s home that’smelled like death’.
One kitten was discovered dead at Marissa Faultless’ home in Sutton Coldfield, while others had to be euthanized and had their eyes removed due to cat flu.
On three occasions, RSPCA inspectors were forced to enter her ‘cluttered’ home on Tower Road, where the garden was heaped high with waste and the inside reeked of urine and faeces.
Ms Faultless, 66, refused to agree that anything was amiss with the cats and disputed that they need veterinary care, but she did admit to needing assistance.
Birmingham Crown Court heard she was not ‘deliberately nasty’ and that her actions was due to a mental health problem.
The 66-year-old woman admitted six animal welfare violations, though she attempted a last-ditch effort to alter the pleas in order to preserve her cats, which failed.
On Tuesday, April 9, Judge Peter Carr sentenced her to a 12-month community order, which included 15 days of rehabilitation and 12 sessions of psychological assistance. Ms Fautless has also been banned from owning cats for ten years.
Confirming that he had read a pre-sentence report and two mental assessments, he told Faultless: “I think you need help after hearing everything about the case and reading about you.”
Faultless said, ‘I need it, judge. ‘I need it.
Sara Pratt, prosecuting for the RSPCA, stated that the matter had a ‘long history’ with the police and Birmingham City Council, both of which attempted to deal with Ms Faultless after receiving early complaints.
In April 2021, Ms Pratt reported that the pet owner was given copies of the Animal Welfare Act as well as a code of practice for caring for cats to ‘prevent her falling foul of the law’.
However, Ms Pratt stated that ‘nothing changed’, and a warrant was served on September 2 of that year, resulting in the removal of 34 cats and kittens.
A additional 24 were sighted outside, but cops were unable to apprehend them and lacked the legal authority to seize them.
Ms Pratt continued: ‘Outside of the house there was piled high rubbish in the garden as high as the fence.
‘Inside the property there were a large number of cats and kittens. There was an overpowering smell of urine and a build-up of faeces in the living room. There were no suitable litter trays. The house was in a cluttered state.’
A lot of the cats were suffering from cat flu as well as fleas, with Ms Faultless refusing to formally sign any of them over to the RSPCA. In an interview she accepted ownership of them but denied there were signs of flu or ringworm.
Ms Faultless also blamed Covid for failing to seek flea treatment but insisted the cats did not need to see a vet. She claimed she had not noticed the smell but admitted to struggling to manage her many pets, Ms Pratt said.
There were further visits to her home in June and July 2022 following more complaints which culminated in a second warrant executed in August.
Ms Pratt said: ‘The conditions at the property had deteriorated. There was an overwhelming smell of urine, faeces and what was described by others as ‘death’..’
A dead kitten was found at the home while 26 cats had to be removed. One aged four-weeks old was particularly emaciated and had to be euthanised. A third raid took place in April 2023 when another 34 cats had to be taken away.
The court was told that a small number of cats had to have their eyes removed owing to severe illness, to which Ms Faultless yelled ‘no, no, no that’s not real’ as she sobbed in the dock. A cat died after being operated on by a veterinarian.
Ms Pratt stated, ‘Clearly, all of the cats had experienced agony and distress. A reasonably competent and humane individual would have sought veterinary care.
She informed the court that a number of cats had perished, but the vast majority had been rehomed, with others still in boarding facilities awaiting adoption.
Queenie Djan, defending, stated: ‘This is Ms Faultless’ first offence. It is not true that she was purposefully cruel. It is closely related to the mental disease she is suffering from.
‘She had a history of owning cats without incident prior to her offence. She is receiving assistance from various agencies.
